Crowley Opens Refrigerated Pest Control Facility at Port Everglades

Wednesday, January 12, 2011 2:22 PM

Crowley Opens Refrigerated Pest Control Facility at Port Everglades

Perishable cargo coming into South Florida with highly mobile, non-indigenous pests can now be contained and prepared for fumigation while retaining refrigerated temperatures as Crowley Maritime Corporation has developed its first Highly Mobile Actionable Pest (HMAP) Refrigerated Chamber at Port Everglades.
Fresh fruit and vegetables imported from the tropics may harbor pests that can travel and multiply quickly in South Florida's warm climate. Traditionally, cargo found with highly mobile pests that needed some type of manipulation prior to fumigation have been returned to their country of origin. Now with Crowley's new HMAP Refrigerated Chamber these perishable cargoes can be segregated and prepared for fumigation while maintaining refrigerated temperatures. Crowley's innovation, which is available to all shippers transporting perishable cargo into South Florida's Port Everglades, benefits shippers because in most situations the shipment no longer has to be re-exported if highly mobile pests are found and manipulation of the cargo is needed.

"Within this chamber, Crowley is able to manipulate or rearrange such cargo to meet prerequisites for fumigation. This restacking enclosure will avoid re-exportation of products that until now had to be returned to the country of origin as no such facility existed at the port," says Nelly Yunta, General Manager of Crowley's Customized Brokers subsidiary that specializes in the Customs clearance of perishables into the United States. "Crowley worked very closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make this happen."

Crowley's HMAP Refrigerated Chamber meets the requirements established by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service U.S. Department of Agriculture (APHIS USDA) and applies to international cargo shipments that have been determined by Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) identifiers to be infested with highly mobile actionable pests.

"Crowley's new HMAP Refrigerated Chamber gives shippers using Port Everglades peace of mind because in most situations they can now bring their perishable produce into South Florida without worrying about wasting time and money due to re-exportation," says Port Everglades Director Phil Allen.

Crowley operates the largest container terminal in Port Everglades on a long-term lease which has recently been amended to include an additional 12 acres. The economic impact resulting from Crowley's activity at Port Everglades is estimated to support 31,983 jobs statewide and generate personal income of $1.1 billion, plus state and local taxes of approximately $80.1 million. These impact estimates are based on the Port Everglades Economic Impacts Model developed by Martin Associates as part of the 2006 Port Everglades Master/Vision Plan.

Jacksonville-based Crowley Holdings Inc., a holding company of the 118-year-old Crowley Maritime Corporation, is a privately held family and employee-owned company. The company provides diversified transportation and logistics services in domestic and international markets by means of six operating lines of business: Puerto Rico/Caribbean Liner Services, Latin America Liner Services, Logistics Services, Petroleum Services, Marine Services and Technical Services. Offered within these operating lines of business are the following services: liner container shipping, logistics, contract towing and transportation; ship assist and escort; energy support; salvage and emergency response through its TITAN Salvage subsidiary; vessel management; vessel construction and naval architecture through its Jensen Maritime subsidiary; government services, and petroleum and chemical transportation, distribution and sales. Additional information about Crowley, its subsidiaries and business units may be found on the Internet at http://www.crowley.com/.

Port Everglades is one of the nation's leading container ports and a trade gateway to Latin America and Caribbean. The seaport has direct access to the interstate highway system, is within two miles of the FEC rail hub and is just one mile from the Atlantic Shipping Lanes. Ongoing capital improvements and expansion ensure that Port Everglades will have the ability to handle future growth in container traffic. A world-class cargo handling facility, Port Everglades serves as an ideal point of entry for products shipped around the world.